- [Narrator] This is a Russian glide bomb. Moscow has been launching thousands of them at Ukraine in recent months, putting further strains on the Ukrainian army and helping Russia make some territorial gains. Glide bombs are cheap, highly destructive, incredibly hard to stop and are predominantly made from retrofitted Soviet-era explosives.
Here's how Russia is giving old bombs the functionality of a modern cruise missile at a fraction of the cost. (gentle music) Russia is able to produce large numbers of glide bombs quickly and cheaply and that's mainly because they aren't new weapons. Most of them start out as general purpose bombs from the Soviet era, known by their Russian acronym "FAB", which means "high explosive aviation bomb", something that Russia has huge stockpiles of.
- They're very simple munitions, Soviet era, so-called "dumb bombs" to be dropped from aircraft, and the main characteristic of them is that they are massive. - [Narrator] There are three sizes of FAB bomb reportedly being used. The FAB-250, FAB-500 and the FAB-1500.
The higher the weight of the bomb, the more explosives it carries. The largest, the FAB 1500, weighs 1. 5 tons and contains around 1500 pounds of explosives, making it capable of leveling buildings.
For comparison, a standard Russian 152-millimeter Howitzer artillery shell contains around 17 pounds of explosives. - They are very effective at obliterating Ukrainian positions. So Ukrainians, if they're in cities, will often take up positions in basements, places that would give them some shelter from most artillery rounds.
But the destructive power of these bombs is such that they can bring down buildings above these soldiers - [Narrator] By fitting them with a Universal Planning and Correction Module, known by its Russian acronym "UMPK", These dumb bombs effectively become guided missiles. This piece of kit contains a satellite navigation system that can be programmed to hit targets. Rudders are attached to the tail to aid steering, and to stabilize the bomb in flight while the pop-out wings help the bomb literally glide to its target, making it more accurate over longer distances.
And with a range of just under 40 miles, the Russian Air Force can launch them at Ukraine without ever leaving its own airspace. Retrofitting the FAB bombs only cost tens of thousands of dollars, a fraction of the cost of a purpose-built guided weapon, and they are also easier and quicker to manufacture. - We've heard a lot about Russia's wonder weapons.
It's modern weapons like the hypersonic Kinzhal missile, but the beauty of these glide bombs as far as Russia is concerned, is that they have a lot of them, they can quickly make into an effective weapon that they can use. And we're at a stage of the war where the economics matter. - [Narrator] Jets like the SU-34 bomber, allow Russia to launch multiple glide bombs at once in a bid to overwhelm Ukraine's air defense systems.
And that's not their only advantage. The weapons themselves are very hard to shoot down. - [James] Well, they give off a very small signature, they're relatively small in size, they only show up as small dots on a radar and so the Ukrainians don't necessarily see them coming.
- [Narrator] One of the glide bombs' limitations is they can't hit moving targets, making them less effective on mobile battlefields. However, Russia has been able to use them to target cities and to break down Ukrainian fortifications. With the Ukrainian military estimating that Russia has dropped 16 times more glide bombs this year than last.
And Moscow has been using glide bombs against Ukraine's Second largest city, Kharkiv, which is around 25 miles from the Russian border. - [James] On May the 25th, two Russian glide bombs hit a Ukrainian home improvement store called Epicenter. It's like the Ukrainian version of Home Depot.
This is actually causing damage and destruction, not only on the front lines, but it's terrorizing the civilian population as well. - [Narrator] Russia also used glide bombs in its assault on the eastern city of Avdiivka earlier this year, with some military analysts saying the weapons were key in enabling Moscow to capture the city. - [James] Russia began dropping so many bombs on the city that it became simply impossible for the Ukrainians to hold on.
This is the first time that Russia has really used them in such a concentrated fashion to blast Ukrainian defenders out of a city. - [Narrator] Moscow says it is now scaling up production of its glide bombs and analysts warn there is evidence. Russia is working on creating bigger, more explosive versions, including one that weighs three tons, as well as experimenting with different kinds of warheads.
With glide bombs helping Russia replenish its weapons stocks quickly and cheaply, Ukraine is looking for its own solutions. - [James] Ukraine wants F-16 fighter jets. These can be used to strike down the Russian planes before they're able to release the bombs.
- [Narrator] However, some analysts say because F-16s face the risk of being shot down by the Russians, Ukraine should instead focus on electronic warfare tactics. - [James] Electronic jamming is a potential way to stop these bombs because they rely on guidance systems. There's a big question as to whether Ukraine has electronic warfare systems that are powerful enough and numerous enough to counter this threat.
- [Narrator] Analysts also say more advanced air defense systems like US-made Patriots would allow Ukraine to shoot down Russian fighter bombers but that's only if they can be located close to the front line. - [James] The Russians have a very strong surveillance from drones, and they can then try to strike the Patriot batteries if they're brought close to the front. So the question for the Ukrainians is how to balance the need to protect civilians, to protect cities, and the risk of taking them to the front lines to try to intercept Russian aircraft.
- [Narrator] Because glide bombs are affordable and can be quickly replenished, analysts believe they will continue to play a significant role in Russian attacks in the coming months. - [James] Glide bombs have been a very effective way to smash Ukrainian positions, to kill defenders, to break defenses, and to get through and take more Ukrainian territory. If the Ukrainians are able to stop that, they'll have a much better chance of holding their positions against the Russians.
